


This Is Magic

by Challenger2011



Category: Project Blue Book (TV)
Genre: I Don't Know What The Hell I Just Wrote, M/M, Mermaids au, Prompt Fic, The Stars Love Allen Too, This Got Fucking Weird, bad ending?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-12
Updated: 2019-03-12
Packaged: 2019-11-16 09:42:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18091979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Challenger2011/pseuds/Challenger2011
Summary: PBB Discord Prompt Fic: “Stop it,” he snapped. The creature smiled bigger and rolled onto one arm, tail coming down to curl behind it like a human drawing up their legs. “I make my living catching fish, not you! This is the third time.”





	This Is Magic

**Author's Note:**

> Something I threw together quick based on a writing prompt from the PBB Discord. Not the best, kinda lost it in the end but w/e.

Allen glared at the creature laying on the deck of his small fishing sloop. The creature had the gall to smile back brightly, long tail lifting from the deck and curling over to display the brilliant colors of the fins. 

“Stop it,” he snapped. The creature smiled bigger and rolled onto one arm, tail coming down to curl behind it like a human drawing up their legs.

“I make my living catching fish, not you! This is the third time.”

The deep laughter made him glare at it harder. He still wasn’t sure the creature understood english. It had never spoke back to him, but the laughter sounded as human as the upper half appeared. The first time seeing the creature had been a shock, but it was wearing off now. He wasn’t sure why it had chosen him to bother and not a woman. Not that there were many women out on a boat by themselves to fish that he, and he was sure it was a he, could pick from. But why Allen?

The creature pulled itself closer to Allen, slipping across the loose bodies of the fish that had come up with it in the net and propped itself up onto its hands, torso coming off the ground and face looking up at Allen with that brilliant smile.

If he ignored the lower half, Allen would almost believe it was a man staring at him. The face and upper body almost seemed to come from Allen’s dreams, like it was made for him to love. Dark hair, pushed back off of a face with high cheeks, a perfect straight nose and cupid's bow lips. Brown eyes surrounded by laugh lines and a dimple on the right cheek. Prominent adam’s apple that drew Allen’s eyes down to the broad shoulders and muscled arms, veins running from the elbow to the strong hands placed flat on the deck boards. There were rings on three fingers on his right hand. A quick jump took Allen’s wandering eyes to the chest he could see pushed out from the position. 

Like a dream.

Human, it looked human.

Until you got to the waist. The scales started on the flanks, almost tattoo like as they went down past the hip bones until they became actual scales. Allen wasn’t sure what kind of fish he would be, but it must be tropical. The colors were too flashy to be something from the Atlantic where they currently were. The tail was a light, silvery blue, smaller fins coming out where Allen would guess knees would be that were all shades of blue up to black at the tips. The fins at the end reminded him of a fighting fish. Dark blues and black in many layers, shot through with hints and streaks of brilliant red and orange.

Why was it here?

This was not exactly the North Atlantic to be sure, off the coast of lower Maine, but its not Florida either. Tropical had no place here. 

Not that a fucking MERMAID had any place anywhere really. This shit just didn’t happen. They weren’t real.

The face nuzzling into his hand though was very real, and surprisingly warm for a creature that was half fish and came out of the Atlantic. Allen started and looked down. The creature had come closer and was leaning its face into Allen’s palm like a dog, eyes closed and a contended look on the handsome face.

“You can’t be real.” Allen whispered hoarsely as he cupped that warm face. The smile he got in return was blinding, Allen’s heart skipping a beat.

“You’d never choose me if you were real.”

Allen was convinced he was having heat stroke on the deck again. It was how he’d felt the first time he’d pulled the gorgeous, totally not real, creature up with his net. Figuring he’d had caught a dolphin or something, Allen had released the net on the deck intending to roll the animal back into the water. The surprised squall that had come out as it fell though sounded human. The roughed up indignant face that had stared at him from the pile of fish had scared him. As had the realization that there was only half of a human in his net. 

He’d passed out.

Coming to a few minutes later he’d realized he was held against someone’s chest. Strong arms wrapped around him, cheek pressed to cheek as the person curled around his back. The creature had been sniffing where his neck meets his shoulder, rubbing his chin into the spot like a cat every few seconds. Allen still wasn’t sure what it had been doing but he’d panicked at the time. Breaking free with a shrill scream he was embarrassed to think back on.

The laughter from the creature had stopped him in his tracks. It was leaned back on its hands, tail out nearly straight like legs, head thrown back and shoulders shaking with laughter. It was at that moment that Allen’s eyes had first wandered. The creature’s belly becoming his favorite spot. A human belly button surrounded by those scale tattoo marks that became actual scales down where a human’s penis would have started. The scales felt indecently low and even now, Allen could feel himself blushing.

It was a bit fucked up to be attracted to this creature he thought. He didn’t even know if it was sentient. But the mimic at the top was a fucking wet dream Allen didn’t know how to stop having.

Allen raised his hands and backed away again. 

“You are so confused Mermaid guy. I am not a woman.” The creature tilted its head to watch him.

The answering question nearly made Allen pass out again.

“Am I not good enough for you?” The voice was a low baritone, rumbling and smooth. It sent shivers down Allen’s back for more than one reason. 

He gaped for a moment before his mouth ran away without his brain.

“Can I sell you for a profit so I can feed myself?”

They stared at each other for a long moment in surprise before the creature snorted in amusement and dropped down to his elbows, arms crossing in front of his chest. He smiled at Allen again, a softer one this time.

“I know I would prefer that you didn’t?”

Allen could make love to that voice.

He squinted at the creature from the other side of the boat. “You’re insufferable.”

It shrugged.

“Why are you here? I mean, why do you keep coming back? You have to see the damn net.”

“Maybe I like you.” The creature declared, head bobbing a bit. The dark hair was drying out and standing in soft looking spikes that Allen itched to run his hands through. Behind him though, Allen could still see the tail, magnificent fins moving slowly back and forth through the water on the deck.

Merman. Allen’s mind helpfully supplied. As if he’d forgotten.

“Why?”

The creature paused at that, considering Allen with a serious gaze. Allen’s voice had broken on the word.

“Do you know you’re dying?”

Allen froze. “Wha - what?”

The creature beckoned him over with one hand, silver rings glinting in the mid afternoon sun. Allen wasn’t sure why he moved, but found himself standing just in front of the merman again. The hand lifted to touch his bare belly as the creature pushed himself up once again. Allen wasn’t wearing a shirt in the summer heat. Long fingers spread over his stomach on the left side. That dark head leaned in to sniff Allen, not quite able to reach the spot he was touching.

“Something grows in you. Here. It smells like sick, and death.”

Allen’s hand came up to touch the spot, fingers between the creature’s. He knew what it was. 

His liver. 

He’d been told 6 months ago that he had cancer. Inoperable without a transplant. He’d sold everything he owned except this boat and disappeared from his life. Not that he had much to hide from. His family had disowned him when they found out he was gay. Work was easy, he had no friends there and the other faculty would be fighting over his spot.

He’d always felt drawn to the ocean though, sailing coming easy to him. The boat he had wasn’t exactly a fishing boat, more of a low catamaran/sailboat, but he managed. He loved to watch the stars as he laid out on the deck, sails drawn on a calm night. The Milky Way was incredible to see from here, away from all the lights of the populated world. It was peaceful. He’d come out here to die.

“I don’t want you to die.” The words were a whisper. 

Tears filled Allen’s eyes.

“Why? Why do you care if I die or not?”

The creature dropped his hand back to the deck, eyes focusing on Allen’s face. Something about the look made Allen kneel, dropping to his knees to put their faces level. The eyes he thought were brown were not. They were black, tiny flecks of white in their depths. Allen felt like he was lost in them, they were familiar.

Stars. His eyes were filled with stars.

“I am Michael,” the creature spoke into the air between them. The sounds of the day disappeared, absolute silence except for Michael’s voice.

“I was made for you.”

The press of lips against his should have scared Allen. The way he answered the emotions he felt there should have scared him more. It didn’t. It felt like coming home. He understood somehow, deep inside. The illness in his belly washed away, the sun burning on his skin disappearing, his fear unclenching from his heart. He’d accepted what was happening to him, that he was dying. Now he accepted this.

He didn’t remember the change, woke hours later to the brilliant sky of stars over head, the Milky Way a blazing stripe above. Michael lay by his side on a 45 degree angle with him, their heads touching, hands gripped tight. He felt content. Strong. Healthy.

He didn’t need to look down to see what had become of his own legs. He knew. He could feel the wind rustling his fins, the layers rippling in the breeze. He didn’t know how or why Michael had come for him, had chosen him, but he didn’t doubt it that Michael was for him. He didn’t understand who up there thought he was worth enough to go through this trouble for one sad, skinny astrophysicist with no friends, but he was grateful.

He’d always felt like his life had gone wrong somewhere. Something had happened that wasn’t supposed to and he was trying to make up for it since but never managing to. This felt like a dream.

A nudge against his temple made him look over. Michael’s eyes were brown again. Looking at him with a soft expression.

“Come with me, love.”

Together they slipped off the side of the boat into the water, the temperature of the water not bothering Allen at all. His mate was waiting for him under the surface, smiling at Allen’s childish delight at the sight of his own fins. Dark grey over gold with flecks of white, his tail hiding pops of yellow and white, tiny spots of red at the tips. Less tropical, more natural for a creature created in the Atlantic.

He wrapped his arms around Michael as the other man swam up to him, pulling their bodies together. Allen pressed his lips to Michael’s. 

This was magic.


End file.
